This recipe is from the chapter "Let There Be No Room for Hate"

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Spinach!

I hated spinach as a child, but as an adult found out what spinach can taste like when it is not overcooked. Try this simple dish and discover for yourself how great spinach can be.

One small bag of spinach

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tsp. olive oil

Heat a 10 inch skillet, adding the olive oil once    the skillet is hot. Stir in the garlic and pine nuts, sautéing for about one minute. Add the spinach. Stir until the

spinach begins to wilt, one to two minutes. Remove spinach from the pan. Serve as a side for any meal, though this is exceptionally good with salmon.

My three sons in their Aunt Susan's kitchen the night before Thanksgiving. Paul is making his unique pumpkin pie!

From the Introduction:

OPEN THE DOOR

You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. This is not an easy struggle. Indeed, it may be the most difficult task in the world, for opening.

~Daisaku Ikeda

            Divorce is a life changing event, one which feels as though the “doorway to life” has slammed shut in your face.  My life changed a few months after my fortieth birthday, just short of twenty-three years of marriage. Feeling devastated, scared and alone I knew I had to make some drastic changes in my life and some major decisions regarding my future….

Reconnecting with yourself after a divorce is critically important. While married, spouses often make compromises to accommodate each other and while that is an important aspect of making a marriage work, some women find that they have completely given themselves up and have no idea who they are, what they want, or where they want to see their lives in the future. Taking time to think through your wants and desires is important; developing and growing into a stronger more self-assured person is your goal. This takes time, but by engaging in a process to move forward, you will be able to put the past behind you. Choosing to be happy means living in the present, not obsessing about the past or the future and by doing so, you will be seeking to live each moment to the fullest….

Journaling is an important part of this healing process. Writing about your grief, your happiness, your sorrows, your joys, your problems allows you to work through the tough aspects of divorce and to celebrate the unexpected excitement in developing a new life. The process of putting pen to paper engages the brain on a deeper level, thus creating more meaning and understanding of your life as you heal. Research has shown that writing about traumatic events in your life will help you, more often than not, move forward in a positive direction because you are actively engaged in the process. Journal entries will also include writing about moving forward, making new plans, setting goals and thinking through difficulties to come up with solutions….

Reading is a critical element of this process. I have selected suggested readings based on their ability to further expand on the individual subjects covered in this book. Though you may not be a prolific reader, I recommend picking at least a handful to encourage, inspire and further enlighten you. Seeking psychological and spiritual wisdom from the experts to help you with your grief, your adjustment to being single and the psychological well being of your children can be achieved by picking up any one of the many good books available or seeking a therapist when needed….

Additionally, I have included a recipe for each week. Why? Because cooking is fun and therapeutic and when you combine cooking with family time, you help create a lasting bond with your children. The majority of the included recipes are simple and quick. Many come from a cookbook I put together years ago that has become our family classic….